


Falling in Love

by S_B_Crowe



Series: A Love Story [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: How Do I Tag, Kinda new to this, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Pining Nico di Angelo, Pining Percy Jackson, So yeah, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_B_Crowe/pseuds/S_B_Crowe
Summary: Nico and Percy falling in love. That's it. That's the story.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson
Series: A Love Story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723363
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	1. The Best Kid In Class

It's common knowledge that teachers didn't like Percy.  
It's fine though, the feeling's mutual.

Percy lolled his head as the teacher gave out the scores for some test. He couldn't remember what it was on for the life of him. Another failed test, another failed use of time in his life. Whoops. Percy yawned and looked at the clock hanging just above the white board. Can you blame him though? When the hours of practice brought similar results to no practice, might as well save everyone some time. The current teacher, Mrs Dodds gave him another piercing glare as Percy stifled a yawn and watched lazily as his teacher stalked her way up to the black of the classroom; to him.

And that's how it always was and that's how it's always meant to be.  
The good kids were put in the front to learn while the… lesser kids, as Mrs Dodds constantly reminds them, would sit at the back so as not to disturb or taint the oh so holy angels of Earth. Percy did not envy the good kids one bit, with their pretty little heads in the clouds and perfect A's. Yeah, no thanks. He pushed the thought of his mum's disappointed look out of his brain.

Turning away, Percy tried his hardest to keep his fidgeting under control and to the bare minimum when she reached his desk, feigning nonchalance as he stared out the window.

"Mr Jackson! Eyes on me when I'm talking!" Mrs Dodds snapped and stood tall, watching Percy as he gave her an irritated look out of the corner of his eye. His teacher raised her head and looked down at Percy.  
"There has been a change of seatings. According to the new Vice Principle Athena, the worse and better kids are to be matched together," she announced. Percy rolled his eyes at that but didn't interrupt.  
"And that means," Mrs Dodds added with a smirk curling on her lips, " _you_ need to sit there." She finished by pointing to the seat at the very front of the class, right next to-  
Oh.

Next thing he knew, Mrs Dodds had picked up his practically empty bag and dropped it on the floor next to Percy's new assigned desk, spilling what little content he had inside. She stood by the desk waiting as she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Percy. Refusing to make eye contact with anyone, Percy let his chair scrape against the floor as he stood, making his way over to the desk in an antagonising manner.

Plopping himself down on the chair, he glared up at Mrs Dodds' smug smile as she turned to face the class. He refused to bend down and collect his fallen objects right now.

"The rest of you, reseat yourselves according to the score board. The better person will be on the right and the worse will be on the left, looking from the whiteboard." Percy ignored the sudden noise of the classroom as everyone moved to find their new seats. Percy ignored Mrs Dodds as she walked around the room, checking to see if everyone got in the right seats. Percy ignored the snickers sent his way as Nancy Bobofit bumped into his shoulder by 'accident'. Percy also did his best to ignore the boy too close for comfort as said person squirmed in his seat. All Percy did is stare at the clock and watch as every tick dragged on for eternity.

"Um… My name's Nico," the boy next to him mumbled as if everyone didn't already know his name. Percy pretended not to have heard as he continued tapping his hands and wiggling his toes. Although, he would be lying if he said there wasn't a part of his brain that was focus on the boy next to him.

After a moment of silence between the two, Nico cleared his throat, forcing Percy to turn his head in his direction. Percy gave him an irritated look and narrowed his eyes.

"You should pay attention if you want to pass the pop quiz she's going to give us next week," Nico prompted, nudging his head in Mrs Dodds direction. Percy held back a snarky comeback as he rolled his eyes and made a show of slumping into his chair and crossing his arms.

"Happy?" Percy wanted to say but decided to save his breath, instead portraying what he felt through a small glance Nico's way.

Turning to the board, he watched as the numbers blurred into one big mess with random symbols and all that jazz. 'Torture' or 'Absolute Hell' is how Percy would describe Maths if he was ever asked. Not that he can think of why he would ever be asked that, but just to throw it out there in case it's not clear enough.

"We need to work on this as a pair," Nico's voice interrupted Percy's musings as he pushed a sheet of paper to the middle of the table. One glance at it already made Percy's head ache, there was no way he would be doing that, let alone finishing it.

"Can't you just use that supposedly big brain of yours and finish it yourself?" Percy asked, reluctantly getting into a better position before his back killed him. Nico looked like he was about to say something but pursed his lips into a thin line before grabbing the piece of paper and scribbled what Percy assumed to be the answer.

It was, of course, the correct answer because who would Nico be if he'd gotten it wrong? Percy, that's who. Mrs Dodds looked at Percy in distaste as she collected the sheet from Nico. Hatred was probably the right word though, as distaste didn't seem a strong enough word for the quirked lip and side glance Mrs Dodds sent his way. Percy didn't react as he stubbornly stared at the front of the classroom.

"Alright everyone, get out your text books and flip to the page on differential equations. Those who forgot their textbooks will be receiving punishment," Mrs Dodds spared Percy a glance before adding, "and for God's sake pick up your stuff Perseus." Rolling his eyes, Percy stood from his seat and went scavenging for the pencil that rolled to some unknown corner of the classroom.

By the time he picked up the crumpled and nearly broken English textbook that no doubt his mum had put in when he thought he'd left it at home, Percy was made aware of the almost frantic rummaging of his newly assigned table buddy.

Never in his life did Percy ever think he'd see Nico drop out of the line.  
And never in his life was Percy ever prepared for his own reflex reaction.

Slamming his Maths book on Nico's side as Percy stood up. He glanced at Mrs Dodds with the smirk that always landed him in trouble.

"Whoops, looks like I forgot my book. I'm so sorry Mrs Dodds," Percy said, not apologetic at all and it showed. That seemed to have been the final straw as Mrs Dodds straight up turned red with rage as she slammed her hand on her table, rising almost menacingly to her feet.

"Perseus Jackson! Go to the Student Counsellor's right now!" Mrs Dodds yelled as she pointed a finger at the door. Giving an insouciant shrug, Percy slowly made his way to the door, not turning back to the gaze burning on his face as he stepped out of the classroom.

Sighing at the thought of Mr Brunner's soft, understanding gaze, Percy made his way to the Student Counsellor's office.


	2. The Worst Kid in Class

Nico sighed as he dropped his head in hands. Peering through his fingers, he stared at the blinking text cursor on his blank document as if that would help him finish his English essay. Argh, who made kids give a speech about giving speeches anyway.

In the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the scruffy Maths textbook resting on his desktop. The amount of pages with creases is irritating as Nico picked it up. Leaning back in his chair, he carefully flipped open the book as if it were made of glass and began straightening each page. He found his mind wandering as he found the action almost therapeutic.

There were a lot of questions he had that, coincidentally, regarded the Maths book that he now held in his hand. Gazing more than looking at the book, he thought about Percy as he slammed it down in front of him and turned to the teacher with that famous trouble-maker's grin of his.

Nico blinked at the tiny note on the page that he had just noticed.

_ It's 25 idiot _

Nico stared at the note in wonder as he ran his fingers over it. There were no calculations, no working out. Just that one line.  
The handwriting was far from neat, but he wondered when Percy had written this, if he even wrote it. Quickly grabbing his own book, he flipped to the same page and checked the question. It was true, now that Nico thought about it. His original answer had been 25 too, but Mrs Dodds had explained the question and got... 56? How? Nico went over the equations again and almost laughed out loud at the amateur mistake his professor made.  
She had mixed up her z's with her 2's in the algebra question and got a completely different answer.

Nico shook his head and continued straightening the pages. Once in a while, he would find the odd note correcting their teacher, and it was surprising the amount of times that happened. By the time it went to unit three, the notes had become a rare occurrence, and Nico doubted it was because Mrs Dodds stopped making mistakes in class.

That's when he found the first doodle.

It was a scribble of black and it had imprinted itself on the other page as well. Shaking his head, Nico kept going and he found more and more elaborate pictures. Soon, the doodles became full-on sketches that curled around the questions, mostly of people mentioned in the questions.

Nico stifled a giggle as he looked at the drawing of Nancy. The math question itself was about Nancy and John both having marbles and they trade or something, but that was besides the point, the sketch was a very wonky version of Nancy Bobofit, second best in class probably simply for being Mrs Dodds' favourite student, and she had marbles spilling out of her brain. For the first time in a while, there was a little note besides it.

_Oops, guess you lost all your marbles._

Nico had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing and waking up his sister next door. After he calmed down, an idea popped into his head and he quickly typed it down.

'Speaking is a type of literature, and literature is a form of art.'

Putting the book aside, Nico stretched and put his hands back on the keyboard. Thinking hard, Nico grinned as the speech began to flow. He wrote of the power in words, the way it can comfort; the way it can hurt. He wrote about how words can be twisted, twisted by the audience, twisted by the writer.

After almost two more hours, Nico stretched again and blinked back at his desk clock that read 01:12. He sighed, rubbing at the bags that were permanently imprinted under his eyes and closed his laptop and put it in his bag. The Maths book previously forgotten, Nico picked it up now and gave it final glance before carefully placing it back in his backpack.

Tomorrow, he would have to make some changes during tutor time and return something that didn't belong to him, but right now...  
it's time for some shut eye.

* * *

Walking up to his desk was by far the hardest thing Nico had to do. Guilt riddled in his brain as he looked in from the corridor at Percy who was lazing in his new assigned seat. Hefting his bag, Nico strode into the classroom, determined not to make eye contact with anyone as he sat down besides Percy. Speaking of which who had ignored him, and for some reason, Nico thought it might have helped his nerves if Percy would at least acknowledge his existence.

"Thanks," Nico said, but to his utter horror his voice cracked. Ducking his head in a nod of thanks, Nico placed the Maths book onto its owner's table. Percy spared Nico a glance before reaching to grab the book, sighing as he did so. Reluctant to make any more noise, Nico carefully reached for his bag. At the same time, Nico also knew that he was being awkwardly slow. Maybe he was just over thinking everything. Yeah, probably. Nico gave a silent sigh, self-acknowledging his inept efforts at being a normal person. Deciding he couldn't care less since he already made a complete fool of himself, he grabbed his bag and pulled his laptop out, propping it up on his desk.

Nico was about a couple paragraphs in when a voice startled him to the point where he retracted his hands from his laptop.

"Is that your speech for English?" Percy asked, leaning closer for a look. Nico squirmed in his seat, trying to move away without seeming impolite but it was proving to be a difficulty as his fingers brushed against Percy's hair. At least he didn't seem to notice, Nico reasoned.

"Yeah. Did you do yours?" Nico said for lack of better response. He tried not to seem too relieved when Percy pulled back and played with his pencil. After a while, he shrugged. Nodding to himself, Nico turned back to his draft. Students trickled in, and it hadn't really occurred to Nico before that Percy actually arrived quite early, against what most would expect. He just about finished checking over his draft when their tutor came in.

"Good morning, let's start with the register. Okay, Adrien. Nancy..." Nico recited the register in his head, replying with a quick 'morning Miss' when his name was called. Tutor time was always boring, it was an annoying ten minutes in the morning where basically all you do is take the register and then chill until class.

Nico shuffled in his seat as Percy tapped out yet another rhythm.

"Do you play the drums?" Nico asked for lack of better conversation topics. He had never really needed to talk when Nancy usually ran her mouth and never once did Nico think he would miss it. Percy stopped tapping and looked at Nico before shrugging. Nico almost missed the syncopated rhythms when Percy made no move to resume, instead choosing to fiddle with his pencil. Nico sighed.

This was gonna be a loooong day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Another chapter already amirite :D  
> I don't know if tutor time is an actual thing, but my school has it and it's literally as mentioned: ten minutes in the morning for register and catching up. Anyway, hope you guys liked this and I can't wait to start on the next chapter :)


	3. Pop Quizzes are the Worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not much romance in this one, just Percy and his 'issues'

To his credit, Nico had been reminding him, borderline nagging him, every morning for the past week. Still, every time Percy looked at the numbers for longer than a couple minutes, he would find his attention had drifted; much like how it had done for the whole of his life.  
He had given up after smelling the promise of his mum's home-baked cookies.

And so now as Mrs Dodds hands out the test papers that she says won't be graded but really will be, Percy doesn't just have to deal with the internal dread but also the disappointment practically flowing out of Nico. He didn't even know why he cared so much that Nico was disappointed, nor why the boy was disappointed in the first place.

Barely catching the sheet of paper thrown his way, Percy picked up his pencil and began to doodle on the back of it. A small rose here, a few squiggles there. Mainly stuff that he knows will annoy Mrs Dodds to no end. Grinning to himself, he flipped over the page and wrote some stupid answers that are most definitely wrong. He sat, foot tapping lightly as he waited for Mrs Dodds to take back the papers, but time seemed to be feeling a bit down today and decided to drag Maths out for longer than usual. Percy sat as he waited. And waited. And waited.

By now, the foot tapping have turned to stomping and his hands began flying over the table, readjusting the paper and stationary, fidgeting with his pencil, scratching, tapping, anything.   
And the irritation and the need to move just got worst. The ticking of the clock became too loud, huffs of breath echoed in his ears, the scrapping of pencil against paper made him cringe. He could feel his uniform scratching uncomfortably on his skin and he knew he needed to get out.

Deep breaths, he reminded himself – the way his mother always did when he felt a bit overwhelmed. The way his mother learnt online when searching up how to deal with autism and ADHD, his brain supplied bitterly.

He knew he should just request a 'pass' and head to Mr Brunner's, but he refused to give Mrs Dodds the satisfaction in knowing that he was this weak. Besides, he had dealt with this his whole life, he's got this. So instead of doing what he really should, he grabbed the piece of paper and began folding it. There was a gasp next to him, but Percy couldn't care less. All he knew is that the quicker he finished this, the quicker he could get out.

It really was easier than it should be. A few frantic creases in and Mrs Dodds's shrill voice had rung out and demanded that he drag his disgraced face to the Student Counsellor. Another thing Percy hated about Mrs Dodds was the fact that she kept bringing up the fact he needed counselling, but it was just another thing in the long list he no doubt would have if he could be organised just for once goddamit.

One glance at Nico and showed the boy with his face angled away from Percy and was already done with his test. Percy turned away and strode to the door, his journey noticeably shorter than he was used to.

Head in the clouds, the lot of them. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Percy made it past all the corridor windows before he sat down on the stairs. The breath of fresh air was nice, Percy noted as the floor provided a nice cooling point for Percy to focus on. He had to stand up after a while and Percy made his way down to Mr Brunner's office, the path so ingrained into his memory that he could have made it there blindfolded.

"Ah, Percy, pleasure to see you this morning," Mr Brunner said from behind his desk. Taking off his glasses, the old man rolled himself up to greet the boy.  
"Would you like to sit?" Percy knew that the question, while innocent in its manner, had a double meaning. Glancing at the sofa a few feet away from himself, Percy shook his head and went to grab a fidget toy from Mr Brunner's desk.

"We were having Maths," Percy supplied, knowing he would have to make conversation with Mr Brunner sooner or later. True that he knew Mr Brunner would never push Percy into a conversation, but right now, he just needed to engage in a conversation. Hopefully a normal one, and he ever only seemed to get those here, in the confines of the small office that Mr Brunner was assigned.

"I see. And I suppose Mrs Dodds was being nasty again. I swear, I don't even know how that old hag got married. She sure is a nasty one, I'ld say," Mr Brunner said with a shake of his head and a small chuckle. And this is why Percy liked Mr Brunner. Looking up, Percy saw the way his eyes crinkled.

"Nah, it was just some pop quiz," Percy said, and he noticed that he had stopped clicking and whirling the buttons on the fidget cube. He placed it on the table in front of him and leaned back into the sofa. The smile of Mr Brunner was nice, and Percy found it almost as nice as his mother's if he dared to compare. He returned the favour with a small tilt of his own lips.

"I heard there was a change in seating plans as well," Mr Brunner said, an offer to continue the conversation. Percy nodded.

"Yeah. I got put next to Nico. You know, the dark messy haired boy that's top two in our year group?" Percy watched as Mr Brunner turned thoughtful.

"Ah yes. Good lad, that one. You two may get along quite well, actually," Mr Brunner said, a small twinkle in his eyes that Percy had learnt to mean there was some inside joke that Percy was missing out on. Opting to dismiss that for now, Percy shrugged in response along with a simple 'maybe'.

After that, Mr Brunner allowed Percy to sit in comfortable silence. Letting out mindless humming, Percy tapped his hand against knees in what might have been a rhythm if he kept to a regular beat for long enough. It didn't take long for the bell to ring this time 'round, and Percy found himself hating it almost as much as he hated Mrs Dodds.

After bidding farewell, Percy turned to leave. But before he made it all the way through the door, Mr Brunner called him back.

"Have you ever considered joining the band?" Percy turned and glanced around a little awkwardly.

"Um... no?" He asked, hoping he didn't sound too demeaning. Mr Brunner just shrugged and gave him another small wave before turning in his wheelchair and retreating back to his place behind his desk and Percy let the door fall close behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BAM Another chapter. I am running high on the 'new-book-motivation' adrenaline rn. :)))))


	4. High School Cliques

Nico gripped the backpack tightly in his hands as he trudged his way to the school's lower playground. There would be sweaty bodies running in every direction, bumping into each other occasionally with a few yells of apologies. The sun would be shining on the two-thirds of the court not protected by the school itself at this time of the day, and while the sporty people did their thing, a couple groups would be hanging around and enjoying their snack. Some space left for downball and the rest for basketball. All in all, it was not a place Nico tended to be.

However, that's where Percy is sure to be, probably shooting some hoops or playing a game with the gang that dominated the courts. Sighing to himself, Nico hefted the backpack clutched tightly in his hands as he carefully made his way around the side of the court, trying to avoid being hit by any balls.

He saw the ball coming. Nico saw it flying at his face and all his reflex did for him was close his eyes and turn his head away. The breath of warmth against his face that disappeared as quickly as it came was all he received instead of the head bashing force of a ball he was expecting.

"Watch where you're aiming!" A harsh voice called out, and Nico slowly opened his eyes to see Percy practically shoving the ball back to Octavian who rolled his eyes and continued with his game. Nico hated him with a passion.  
"Didn't take you for one to be here," Percy huffed as he jogged to Nico. He found himself turning a lot warmer than before and Nico blamed it on the blazing heat of the sun shining on his back.

"Uh, yeah. I'm just here to give you your bag – you left it in the classroom. Also, Mrs Dodds told me to tell you that you need to retake the test sometime later," Nico said while offering Percy his bag back. Percy nodded his head in thanks while grabbing the water bottle inside and chugging a good deal of the water inside. And on a completely different note, the sun seemed to be getting warmer by the second.

Nico scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he turned away. Hefting his backpack again, Nico cleared his throat.

"So… I'm just gonna go now…" He said while turning to leave.

"Wait," Percy's voice called and made Nico freeze, more than anything. Turning back, he saw Percy shoulder his backpack and walk towards Nico.  
"Might as well join you to wherever. Don't wanna be on the same court as Octavian," Percy mumbled the second bit, spearing said boy with a narrowed gaze that Nico identified as 

"Right. Yeah sure," Nico mumbled and turned to walk to the refectory. He had planned to go to the library, but that seemed a bit lame now as Percy strode alongside him. Gripping the straps of his bag tighter, he focused way too much on keeping each step regular than necessary.

By the time they reached the refectory, it was already fifteen minutes into snack. Picking a random seat isolated in the back corner, Nico placed his bag down and awkwardly stood for a while and wait for Percy to pull out his chair before he did so himself.

Now what, Nico thought to himself as he sat, staring idly at the front of the refectory. It didn't take long for both of them to figure out that neither of them actually had snack, and nobody was standing up to buy snack. He glanced at Percy to find the other boy was once again tapping his hands and feet in a restless manner. Nico had an inkling as to why, now that he spent some time thinking about it in class, but it was rude to ask and would probably make Percy uncomfortable.  
He would know.

"Are you going to practice for your redo Maths test?" Nico decided to say. Nice. It was light and something Nico was familiar with – studying. The silence lasted long enough for Nico to think Percy wasn't going to answer, but the other boy did deliver.

"I'll try," was Percy's short answer. Nico nodded, regretting asking the question now as he realised how demeaning that must have sounded for Percy. At least now Nico was pretty sure Percy did actually try to study, he just had… complications while doing that. Nico was about to open his big fat mouth to ask if he wanted help when he snapped it shut, realising how bad that was going to sound. Geez, he really needed to work on his filter. Leaning back in his seat, Nico stared at a spot on the table.

"Why are you all alone?" Percy asked out of the blue. Nico stared at Percy in confusion.  
"Sorry. But I just thought you'd… have more friends? You know, being one of the smartest kids in our year," Percy shrugged before adding, "don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"I guess… I like it?" Nico more asked than said and he internally cringed at how obvious his lie was.

"Huh," was Percy's only response though. Nico pulled his mouth into a thin smile and nodded absently. The silence dragged for a bit before Percy opened his mouth again.  
"You could hang out with Annabeth and Piper and, you know, their whole gang. They're totally in your league," Percy said, motioning to the small group of people by the side of the refectory. They were the popular kids, and while flattered, Nico really didn't think he was anywhere near that league. Looking at Percy, Nico saw a smirk playing on his lips.

Saying before he was think about what he was doing, Nico blurted, "I'm gay." and the conversation was ended. Yeah, Nico really needed to work on his filter. He didn't even bother to hide his own grimace as Nico turned away.

Percy shrugged, "cool." It felt oddly dismissive, which was not what Nico had expected. But Nico reasoned maybe this was a normal reaction. After all, he was first signed up to go to Mr Brunner because of what Mr Brunner called internalised homophobia. Of course, it was thanks to Mr Brunner that he also realised he had mild social anxiety, which was not the original purpose of his Student Counselling, but hey, killing two birds with one stone, right?

Nico checked his watch and saw that there was a couple minutes until the next class. Biting his lip, Nico cleared the lump in his throat as discreetly as possible.

"Uh, we should head to class soon," Nico prompted. Percy nodded his head and flung his bag over his shoulder.

"What have we got?"

"Languages," Nico supplied almost immediately. Besides him, Percy nodded with hints of what Nico could barely identify as being impressed. He felt a small smile playing on his lips as he felt a bit funny in his chest. Before the two can part ways for different Languages classes, Percy pulled Nico back.

"Hey uh… would you like me to help you with the redo Maths test?" Nico said, not meeting Percy's eyes as he did. Nico gave him what he hoped to be an encouraging smile.  
"You know, as thanks for lending me your Maths book that time," Nico quickly added, having subconsciously thought of the excuse almost all the way through refectory.

"Yeah sure. It may be harder than you think though," Percy said in a self-depreciating tone that greatly juxtaposed the nonchalant shrug he offered at the same time.

"Oh uh… okay. Bye," Nico finished awkwardly. As he turned to leave, Nico could have sworn he heard a quiet 'see ya' directed at him. Nico felt himself light up right before resetting his mindset, ready for class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I choose binging kid's movies over writing another chapter yesterday? Yes I did.  
> And did I nearly start sobbing over them like the dignified teenage boy I am? Yes, I did.  
> With that said, hope y'all like where this is heading ;)


	5. One of the Angels

Percy was sauntering his way to where he'd parked his bike when his eyes picked up on some rough movements happening a little off just in the shadow of the school.

Now, any other normal teenage student in school, Percy was about to simply turn a blind eye and go home. After all, that was the corner where students vape. As much as Percy could use the small burst of high, he really wasn't that invested since- since… whatever. Point is, as much as Percy may seem to be the kid with issues and seemed like the worst type of person society has to offer, he did not get himself involved in that kind of thing.

Of course, that was all thrown out of the window when a boy was shoved out of the shadows hard enough to send him toppling to the floor. That boy was, namely, Nico Di Angelo. Now, if there was one thing Percy hated the most, it would be Gabe.  
Bullying came a close second though. And as much as Percy may not like the fact that practically everyone above ten on the class scoreboard has their heads in the clouds, he would much rather keep things the way it is. The way it's supposed to be.

And may whatever self-entitled, omnipotent entity make him suffer eternal damnation if he didn't defend who he had decided consider a friend, or at the very least, close companion.

Ditching his bike still yet to be unlocked, Percy made his way to where he had never stepped foot before. And if he was walking a bit too quickly for it to seem casual, well, there was no one to comment on it.

Schooling his face into a neutral expression, he made his way to the boy that held a bloody nose tenderly in his hands. The way sun seemed to be in his favour today, because as Percy stood there, he registered the rather ominous shadow he cast over the seemingly frail boy. He also took note that the glasses usually perched on Nico's nose were missing. Narrowing his eyes, he looked into the shadow. Out stepped none other than Mark. Ah, he should have known. Rolling his eyes, Percy scoffed as an excuse to clear his throat.

"So dramatic," Percy deadpanned as he walked around Nico, trying to discreetly put himself between Nico and Mark. He sneered at the other boy and count him impressed when all the other boy did was try to hide the small step he had taken backwards. The two had a mini stare-off in which Percy came out victorious when he contorted his lips into an almost sinister smirk.

"So what, you here to collect your boyfriend," Mark said the word with as much grace as a dancing elephant. Although that was probably an unfair comparison. Elephants were much more graceful than Mark, and definitely a hell lot smarter. 

"Is that what this is all about," Percy said as he stalked closer to Mark and he took satisfaction in the glint of fear in his eyes. All that pent up frustration, finally finding an outlet.  
"And here I thought it was something serious. You know, like how your single-mother would react when she found that her precious baby boy is one of those kids she tells him to stay away from." Percy watched as pain flickered through Mark's eyes. But oh, did Percy have a lot of pent up frustration and anger from today, especially after being called to Professor Snape's classroom for the fifth time this semester for not 'paying attention' in class.  
"Oh, and I wonder how she would feel when he goes home with a broken nose and black eye because he messed with the wrong people. And when she goes reporting to the Principle, can you imagine how she'd feel when she realises your grades were lower than that flimsy lie you told her, huh?" Now, he could see the redness as a telltale sign that Mark was about to let the waterworks run. Percy didn't even know when he got this close to Mark, but now Percy was slowly advancing as the poor boy is already all the way backed up to the wall.  
"And now tell me, how would she feel, when she learns of all the money you stole from her when she's working so hard to support you and pay the medical bills for your grandma?" Percy was now almost yelling in Mark's face now and boy was he ready to just punch him when a hand landed on Percy's shoulder.

Turning back, Percy glared at whoever dared interrupt his ranting session. The person did not waver and it made him pause. Percy took a deep breath and he realised what a horrible person he is. Clearly making an effort to unclench his fists, an uncomfortable feeling settled in his gut as he was reminded of the unpleasant experience of being on the receiving end.  
Percy looked at Nico and he gave him a halfhearted wolf glare, all the rage seemingly lost at a moment's notice. Not really surprisingly, Nico did not flinch at the wolf glare, although that was probably because he couldn't see it properly. Speaking of which… Percy held out his hand in a silent command and he wasn't disappointed as merely seconds later, a thick pair of glasses was placed gently into his hand. Giving Mark one last menacing glare. Percy bit out a single word.

"Scram." As if by magic, Mark seemingly disappeared down the streets of Olympia and Percy is left alone with Nico. Handing the glasses back to their owner, Percy turned away, not really ready to meet confrontation.

"Thanks," Nico said, breaking the heavy silence.  
"And now I have another favour to return," the boy said what was probably supposed to be a joke, obviously trying to lighten the mood. Such an angel did not deserve to be suffering the horrors of Earth and humanity, Percy decided.

Di Angelo – Italian for 'of angel'.  
Perhaps it was destined.

With that thought, Percy spared Nico a small smile. And standing there in the yellow lights of late afternoon in all his nerdy glory while Percy watched from the shadows, he could almost imagine Nico as an angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heheheheheheheh  
> I'm a mess :")


	6. Official Maths Tutor

A smile was fighting its way onto Nico's face, and he was trying to stop himself from breaking into a full on grin as Percy led him all the way to his bike. The two stood there for a while, neither knowing how to proceed.

"So, uh, when's your Maths redo test?" Nico asked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. At least Percy seemed just as awkward.

"It's the day after tomorrow actually," Percy said and Nico blanched at the thought. What had he signed himself up to?  
"It's fine if you back out. Besides, I doubt you'd be much help. No offence," Percy said with a sheepish smile. Nico shook his head and he was suddenly filled with a shot of determination. If this boy in front of him wasn't going to believe in himself, the least he could do was do that for him.

"No, don't you dare back out of this. You're going to study with me, and you are going to pass that test goddamit," Nico said with a small scowl. This boy that practically just saved him deserved so much more than what Nico could offer.

"Woah, didn't know you were one to swear," Percy said with a small chuckle. Nico raised his eyebrow at Percy, a considerably rare smirk (depending on who you asked) playing on his lips. Inside he was panicking because he didn't know if what Percy said was a good or bad thing. He left it at that, not really wanting to spout something he might regret later.

"Actually, if you're free now, I don't think my dad would mind if you dropped by," Nico said, bitting his lips at how awkward that sounded.

"Yeah sure," Percy replied breezily, not even bothering to think about it. Maybe it was his confidence that influenced Nico, but he soon found himself seated behind Percy's bike because it was more efficient than them walking and towing the bike along with them.

Gripping onto the seat for dear life, the straps of the helmet Percy insisted Nico put on flapped around in the wind. Every once in a while, Nico would call out a direction. A small laugh bubbled out of his lips as Percy pulled another sharp corner down the streets of Manhattan and Nico found himself not minding to let loose for once.

Soon enough, they pulled up at a considerably big looking house. And it was there that Nico started panicking. Okay, so maybe he forgot to take into account that this may seem like flaunting and he also completely forgot that while his dad wouldn't mind, he will most definitely embarrass the hell out of his son, who just so happened to be Nico. Nico gulped.

"Nice place you got," Percy said, seeming fidgety as they made their way up the front door.

"Uh huh," Nico breathed out as he struggled with the keys that just- would not. Fit. In. The key hole. Finally, he managed to push the door open before he full-on broke out in cold sweat. Adjusting his glasses to try and regain his composure, Nico cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped into the house.

"Neeks! Help me with my Science! Dad's been trying for ages but he can't-" Hazel's looked up when she finally made it all the way down the stairs. Tilting her head, a teasing grin look over her face.  
"DAAAAaAaAAaad! Nico gOT A bOyFrIEnd!" Hazel howled before Nico could run and fully cover her mouth. He ditched his backpack as Hazel struggled to get away from the tickling jabs Nico was giving her.

"About time, you would think," his dad said, finally making an appearance. Standing there from the stairs, he was quite an intimidating sight with his height and insistence in always dressing casual-formal during the day. Nico speared his dad with a glare and he felt himself heating up as he watched Hayden eye Percy up and down with a quirked lip.

"Hi," Percy supplied awkwardly with what was probably supposed to be a wave.

"So, you really couldn't find anyone better," Nico's dad said and he shook his head playfully at the completely stumped Percy still standing awkwardly by the door. Nico kept his glare on his dad.

"He's just here to study. Speaking of, we'll be heading to my room," Nico said, grabbing his backpack again and dragging Percy along with him, not even bothering to feel embarrassed as Hayden and Hazel seemed to be doing a good job of being the center of attention. Of course, that is until it became considerably quiet. Now, Nico felt himself panicking at the warmth in his own hands and wondered whether it would be awkward to pull away or would it be even more awkward to just keep holding hands with Percy.

When he reached his room, he let go of Percy's hand, hand feeling just a tad bit too cold now as he dug through his drawer for what he was looking for.

"Here," Nico said, handing a small box over to Percy as he tried to minimise any contact while handing it over.

"Thanks?" And Nico felt himself turning away sheepishly.

"I, uh, it's supposed to help. When you study. For Maths. Yeah," Nico finished lamely as he kept his eyes on the tiny cube that Percy had began experimenting with.  
"I just thought you might have trouble focusing. So. Yeah. That's a fidget thing. So you can fidget with it. When you're studying." Sometimes, Nico wondered how he managed to pass his speaking tests.

"Oh yeah thanks," Percy mumbled as he explored some buttons and slides that Nico had built himself. Not that he was tell Percy that, thinking of how weird that must sound.  
"You didn't have to." Nico looked up at Percy who was scratching his neck awkwardly.

"Nah, it's fine," Nico said, standing for a while longer before digging for the papers he prepared days ago.  
"Here, just, uh, finish that and let me check," Nico replied, handing Percy a self-made test. Percy raised an eyebrow at the flimsy sheet of paper being given to him.

"So this is the secret of the great Nico Di Angelo," Percy said with an over-exaggerated look of interest, almost inspecting the piece of paper. Nico felt himself smiling along.

"Har har. Just do it," Nico said with a small smile.

"Yes Mr Di Angelo," Percy said with a lazy salute.

He let Percy settle in the extra seat besides him as he most definitely didn't spend too much time focusing on the closeness instead of the design specification he was supposed to be writing for Design Technologies.

And when he lightly rested a comforting hand on Percy's shoulder when said boy started shuffling and taking longer than he had before, Nico's hand most definitely did not linger on a little longer than needed as Nico recommended Percy do some cardio exercise to burn off the energy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CALLING FOR BOOK RECS  
> I take Percy Jackson, Voltron, Harry Potter, Miraculous and more. Literally anything to spend my time because I do not socialise like normal people yeet.
> 
> Also, this will continue on in another piece of work, because apparently you can do that. So, kinda my way of apologising for this anticlimactic story.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello :)  
> This is my first story on this site so I'm still figuring out how things work. It's pretty straight forward though so that always makes things easier. The only complaint I have is I can't believe ship names aren't official tags?! Like, how??!  
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this story, feel free to leave constructive criticism, and that's it!  
> Stay safe and healthy, peace out✌️


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